The painting was commissioned by the Commonwealth in celebration of her Golden Jubilee.

The monarch's full-length, vibrantly coloured likeness was unveiled by Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon at the Commonwealth Secretariat, at Marlborough House in London.

The Queen, dressed in royal blue, is depicted standing against a backdrop of images from Commonwealth nations - Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, the Sydney Opera House in Australia, the Taj Mahal in India, the Houses of Parliament in London, Montego Bay in Jamaica and a totem pole from British Columbia in Canada.